tripete
Very helpful member
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2014
- Messages
- 1,002
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- PALS
- Diagnosis
- 12/2014
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- US
- State
- PA
- City
- Lancaster
Below is a document that i wrote for seminary some years ago. i still hold it to be true although i think it could have been written more gently. i used the same format as the Canons of Dort, because i believe it can be easier to explain things when you say what you do believe and what you do not believe. everything is scripturally referenced.
Confession of faith
It is difficult to know where to begin and where to end in writing a confession of faith. In summary I agree with the
Westminster confession of faith and the Three Forms of Unity. I believe that God's salvation comes to dead sinners by His
mercy alone, through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ, and that He binds this upon His people by the deposit of the
Holy Spirit. I will attempt to be more specific in the remainder of this document, and will use a “belief versus rejection”
format, similar to that of The Cannons of Dort, to do so.
Of God
I Believe that...
...God is perfect, holy and righteous, in His character, actions, and judgments1. God exist in three persons; God
the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit2. While each person of the trinity performs specific aspects of
salvation they all work together as one in perfect unity. As such what can be said about one can be said of all.
...God is omnipotent, His will is never thwarted or altered3.
...God is omniscient, as such nothing is hidden from His sight and nothing is beyond
His knowledge4...
...God is omnipresent, God is in all places5.
...God is the creator of all things6.
...God is the author of and perfecter of salvation7.
I Reject...
...that God is a created being and as such is limited in His scope and presence.
...the notion that God is only an idea or concept that exist in all man.
...that God does not inflict His will upon His creation.
...that God is dependent upon the creation in any way.
...that God in all His forms was and is not perfect and holy without sin.
Of Man
I Believe that...
...God created Adam and Eve in his own likeness in the Garden of Eden, and that they fell into sin as they where
tempted by Satan. That on account of this fall all mankind has inherited a sinful nature and that this nature is the
natural course of our will8.
...God did not passively observe the temptation and fall of man but that He caused it to come to pass for His own
glory, yet remains wholly blameless of of sin, the entire guilt and condemnation belonging to man9.
...every inclination of the fallen man's heart is evil all the time10.
...because of sin we are selfish, self centered creatures who seek to take God's glory for ourselves11.
...we are not merely tainted by sin but completely corrupted unto death by it12.
...men will always carry their sinful flesh with them as long as they walk this earth13.
1 Rev.4:8
2 1Jn.5:7, 2 Cor.13:14
3 Rev.19:6
4 Mark 4:22
5 Psalm 139
6 Jn.1:1-5
7 Heb.12:2
8 Gen.1-3
9 Phil.2:11
10 Gen.6:5
11 Rom.1:23
12 Eph.2:1-3
13 Rom.7:18
I Reject...
...the idea that mankind has a spark of goodness in them.
...the idea of a will that is free to choose anything other than to act upon it's own sinful nature.
Of Justification
I Believe that...
...Jesus Christ the Son of God took on the very humanity of His people, and lived completely with out sin. He then,
in His perfection, willingly offered Himself as the sacrifice for each and every one of His people. God accepted this
sacrifice and raised Him from the dead, He now sits at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for
His people, having completely satisfied all the requirements of salvation for those chosen by God the Father14.
...the Holy Spirit effects the work of salvation in those whom God the father has elected, those whom Christ died
for15.
...justification is wholly the work of God16.
...justification is Gods work alone; His legal declaration of righteousness, applied only to His elect17.
...God the Father has ordained before the foundations of the earth the justification of His people, and this
justification occurs in time by the instrument of faith18.
...justification is solely a work of God's grace and is not dependent in any way upon man19.
I Reject...
...any notion which ascribes any role to men, where justification is concerned.
...the concept that God's grace provides the opportunity for justification to all men.
...the idea that Christ blood was shed universally for all men.
...statements that declare that that justification or any other benefit of salvation depend upon a condition the the
sinner must fulfill.
...the idea that because our salvation does not depend upon us that, that in some manner this allows us to sin that
grace may abound.
Of Sanctification
I Believe that...
...as justification is wholly God's work, so is sanctification20.
...our sanctification is expressed as we daily, see our need for the salvation of Christ, and are caused to repent of
ourselves21.
...we do make decisions as we walk through our Christian lives ,and yet anything that is good and true and right, is
to be ascribed wholly to the work of God, while anything that is sinful is completely of our flesh22.
...our days will be characterized by our struggle against the flesh, and that the Gospel of our Lord and Savior is
our only means of combat and ultimate victory23.
14 Heb.2:9-11
15 1Cor.1:21,22
16 Rom.8:33
17 Rom.3:21-26
18 Eph.1:3-6
19 Eph.2:8-10
20 Eph.2:10
21 1Pet.2:24
22 Rom.7:15-25
23 2Cor.10:3-6
I Reject...
...the idea that our sanctification is a corporative work between God and man.
...the doctrine that our justification merely “cleans the slate” and that it is now up to us to keep it clean through
confession and obedient living.
...the concept that the sinful flesh of believers is renovated and improved to be able to perform good works.
...the idea that we can in any way do anything good outside of seeing our need for Christ.
...the idea that we can now in some way attain to the perfection of the moral law as we walk on this earth.
...the doctrine that denies the existence of the flesh and the need that I have to regularly hear the Gospel of God's
grace and repent of myself.
Of Glorification
I Believe that...
...as in justification and sanctification, glorification is a work wholly belonging to God24.
...all who are saved in Christ will be raised from the dead and will one day serve before the throne of God in
perfect worship25.
...that Christians long for the time when they will be done with this body of sin and death, and will instead be with
Christ in the perfection of a sinless humanity26.
I Reject...
...the idea that Christ will not return for his saints.
...that there is no afterlife.
...that Christians become “ripe for glorification” by the accumulated fruit of “progressive sanctification” through
their life on earth.
Of Eternity
I Believe that...
...the souls of men are eternal, and that as it was given for men to live, it is also given for them to die, to be judged
by God, and to be sent by Him to spend all of eternity in either heaven or hell27.
...heaven is the home of God, the angels and His chosen people28.
...in heaven God will be worshiped for all eternity and in His presence no sin will exist29.
...heaven will not be about us, but that it will be about the perfect worship of our Savior30.
...hell is the eternal pit of condemnation, where Satan and his demons will be eternally punished, with all whom
God has not chosen to lavish His grace upon31.
...hell is the rightful place of all men, and the fact that God in His infinite mercy has chosen to save some from the
pit, while rightly judging others to spend eternity in their condemnation, does not in any way make Him unjust32.
24 Rom.8:30
25 2Pet.3:13
26 Rev.12:3,4
27 Heb.10:22-24
28 Rev.4
29 Rev.7:9-17
30 Rev.15:4
31 Ezk.32
32 Jn.5:24-29
I Reject...
...all doctrines that declare heaven to be a state where man is free to enjoy every indulgence of the flesh without
consequence.
...the notion that heaven is intended to be a place of family reunions and never ending buffets.
...that Satan is the prince of Hell, and is thereby immune from the eternal punishment of God.
...as arrogant and self disillusioned those who would question Gods decree that all men are worthy of eternal
condemnation.
...the doctrine that teaches that there is no afterlife.
...the doctrine of limbo or purgatory.
There is, of course, much more that could be said. I am hopeful however that the above statements convey for all who
would read this document the complete sovereignty of God as the creator of all humanity. It is by His will that we are born,
that we live, and that we die. It is for the sake of His glory that we are either delivered unto His salvation or that we are
condemned for all eternity. For God is glorified by the praise of His saints, as He chooses to wash them clean in the blood
of Christ. And He is glorified in the just condemnation of those who would seek to steel His glory for themselves. In all
things God is glorified as the true and holy Lord of all. To Him alone be praise. -Amen
Confession of faith
It is difficult to know where to begin and where to end in writing a confession of faith. In summary I agree with the
Westminster confession of faith and the Three Forms of Unity. I believe that God's salvation comes to dead sinners by His
mercy alone, through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ, and that He binds this upon His people by the deposit of the
Holy Spirit. I will attempt to be more specific in the remainder of this document, and will use a “belief versus rejection”
format, similar to that of The Cannons of Dort, to do so.
Of God
I Believe that...
...God is perfect, holy and righteous, in His character, actions, and judgments1. God exist in three persons; God
the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit2. While each person of the trinity performs specific aspects of
salvation they all work together as one in perfect unity. As such what can be said about one can be said of all.
...God is omnipotent, His will is never thwarted or altered3.
...God is omniscient, as such nothing is hidden from His sight and nothing is beyond
His knowledge4...
...God is omnipresent, God is in all places5.
...God is the creator of all things6.
...God is the author of and perfecter of salvation7.
I Reject...
...that God is a created being and as such is limited in His scope and presence.
...the notion that God is only an idea or concept that exist in all man.
...that God does not inflict His will upon His creation.
...that God is dependent upon the creation in any way.
...that God in all His forms was and is not perfect and holy without sin.
Of Man
I Believe that...
...God created Adam and Eve in his own likeness in the Garden of Eden, and that they fell into sin as they where
tempted by Satan. That on account of this fall all mankind has inherited a sinful nature and that this nature is the
natural course of our will8.
...God did not passively observe the temptation and fall of man but that He caused it to come to pass for His own
glory, yet remains wholly blameless of of sin, the entire guilt and condemnation belonging to man9.
...every inclination of the fallen man's heart is evil all the time10.
...because of sin we are selfish, self centered creatures who seek to take God's glory for ourselves11.
...we are not merely tainted by sin but completely corrupted unto death by it12.
...men will always carry their sinful flesh with them as long as they walk this earth13.
1 Rev.4:8
2 1Jn.5:7, 2 Cor.13:14
3 Rev.19:6
4 Mark 4:22
5 Psalm 139
6 Jn.1:1-5
7 Heb.12:2
8 Gen.1-3
9 Phil.2:11
10 Gen.6:5
11 Rom.1:23
12 Eph.2:1-3
13 Rom.7:18
I Reject...
...the idea that mankind has a spark of goodness in them.
...the idea of a will that is free to choose anything other than to act upon it's own sinful nature.
Of Justification
I Believe that...
...Jesus Christ the Son of God took on the very humanity of His people, and lived completely with out sin. He then,
in His perfection, willingly offered Himself as the sacrifice for each and every one of His people. God accepted this
sacrifice and raised Him from the dead, He now sits at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for
His people, having completely satisfied all the requirements of salvation for those chosen by God the Father14.
...the Holy Spirit effects the work of salvation in those whom God the father has elected, those whom Christ died
for15.
...justification is wholly the work of God16.
...justification is Gods work alone; His legal declaration of righteousness, applied only to His elect17.
...God the Father has ordained before the foundations of the earth the justification of His people, and this
justification occurs in time by the instrument of faith18.
...justification is solely a work of God's grace and is not dependent in any way upon man19.
I Reject...
...any notion which ascribes any role to men, where justification is concerned.
...the concept that God's grace provides the opportunity for justification to all men.
...the idea that Christ blood was shed universally for all men.
...statements that declare that that justification or any other benefit of salvation depend upon a condition the the
sinner must fulfill.
...the idea that because our salvation does not depend upon us that, that in some manner this allows us to sin that
grace may abound.
Of Sanctification
I Believe that...
...as justification is wholly God's work, so is sanctification20.
...our sanctification is expressed as we daily, see our need for the salvation of Christ, and are caused to repent of
ourselves21.
...we do make decisions as we walk through our Christian lives ,and yet anything that is good and true and right, is
to be ascribed wholly to the work of God, while anything that is sinful is completely of our flesh22.
...our days will be characterized by our struggle against the flesh, and that the Gospel of our Lord and Savior is
our only means of combat and ultimate victory23.
14 Heb.2:9-11
15 1Cor.1:21,22
16 Rom.8:33
17 Rom.3:21-26
18 Eph.1:3-6
19 Eph.2:8-10
20 Eph.2:10
21 1Pet.2:24
22 Rom.7:15-25
23 2Cor.10:3-6
I Reject...
...the idea that our sanctification is a corporative work between God and man.
...the doctrine that our justification merely “cleans the slate” and that it is now up to us to keep it clean through
confession and obedient living.
...the concept that the sinful flesh of believers is renovated and improved to be able to perform good works.
...the idea that we can in any way do anything good outside of seeing our need for Christ.
...the idea that we can now in some way attain to the perfection of the moral law as we walk on this earth.
...the doctrine that denies the existence of the flesh and the need that I have to regularly hear the Gospel of God's
grace and repent of myself.
Of Glorification
I Believe that...
...as in justification and sanctification, glorification is a work wholly belonging to God24.
...all who are saved in Christ will be raised from the dead and will one day serve before the throne of God in
perfect worship25.
...that Christians long for the time when they will be done with this body of sin and death, and will instead be with
Christ in the perfection of a sinless humanity26.
I Reject...
...the idea that Christ will not return for his saints.
...that there is no afterlife.
...that Christians become “ripe for glorification” by the accumulated fruit of “progressive sanctification” through
their life on earth.
Of Eternity
I Believe that...
...the souls of men are eternal, and that as it was given for men to live, it is also given for them to die, to be judged
by God, and to be sent by Him to spend all of eternity in either heaven or hell27.
...heaven is the home of God, the angels and His chosen people28.
...in heaven God will be worshiped for all eternity and in His presence no sin will exist29.
...heaven will not be about us, but that it will be about the perfect worship of our Savior30.
...hell is the eternal pit of condemnation, where Satan and his demons will be eternally punished, with all whom
God has not chosen to lavish His grace upon31.
...hell is the rightful place of all men, and the fact that God in His infinite mercy has chosen to save some from the
pit, while rightly judging others to spend eternity in their condemnation, does not in any way make Him unjust32.
24 Rom.8:30
25 2Pet.3:13
26 Rev.12:3,4
27 Heb.10:22-24
28 Rev.4
29 Rev.7:9-17
30 Rev.15:4
31 Ezk.32
32 Jn.5:24-29
I Reject...
...all doctrines that declare heaven to be a state where man is free to enjoy every indulgence of the flesh without
consequence.
...the notion that heaven is intended to be a place of family reunions and never ending buffets.
...that Satan is the prince of Hell, and is thereby immune from the eternal punishment of God.
...as arrogant and self disillusioned those who would question Gods decree that all men are worthy of eternal
condemnation.
...the doctrine that teaches that there is no afterlife.
...the doctrine of limbo or purgatory.
There is, of course, much more that could be said. I am hopeful however that the above statements convey for all who
would read this document the complete sovereignty of God as the creator of all humanity. It is by His will that we are born,
that we live, and that we die. It is for the sake of His glory that we are either delivered unto His salvation or that we are
condemned for all eternity. For God is glorified by the praise of His saints, as He chooses to wash them clean in the blood
of Christ. And He is glorified in the just condemnation of those who would seek to steel His glory for themselves. In all
things God is glorified as the true and holy Lord of all. To Him alone be praise. -Amen